Qi
(aka Kido, Kundalinī, Chakra) Qi is willpower great enough to affect, bend or break the will of others and, for extreme practitioners, even nature. Not to be mistaken for magic or physical force, qi is concentrated, unadulterated intent that some are born with (feral qi) and some spend their entire lives to achieve (tranquil qi). Philosophy The qi philosophy is that all things possess intent—living and dead—and that all living creatures can detect it to an extent (though it is more prominent in wild animals). Qi practitioners believe this intent can be projected onto others around them to bend or break their will. Masters can extend this to laws of nature. However, to achieve this, the user cannot doubt nor desire to use qi to an end, as either will sully the resulting intent. Like any feat of strength, intent projection is a contest of willpower. Practitioners have less chance to affect a victim who is strong-willed, desperate or resolute. Feral Feral users are characterized by those who aren't conscious of qi, but instinctively project an extraordinary amount of it. The intent isn't necessarily malicious, as the name implies, but can be. These users are either born with it or develop it, often as a result of trauma. It can be honed and controlled instinctively, and can terrify, endear, inspire and/or demoralize enemies. Feral qi is beastly in quality, most pronounced in savages and predators, but can be resisted with enough motivation or willpower. Tranquil Tranquil users are more focused, are aware of qi and have trained most of their lives to achieve mastery of it. Tranquil qi is significantly more powerful than its feral counterpart, but requires a certain state of mind, one devoid of desire and doubt, without which it degrades into feral qi. A state of mind that is always accepting of the world, favouring balance and neutrality. Tranquil qi can incapacitate and sense qi/magic, but it's most notable feature is it's ability to contest the "will of nature". Will of Nature While qi users can overcome the will of other people, the most powerful among tranquil users can extend this power to the will of the natural world. However, doing so poses a great risk to the practitioner. By their philosophy, every contest of will against nature poses an equal and opposite reaction should it fail. Qi vs Magic Qi can seemingly nullify magic, but not directly. Magic use is similar to qi practices in that both practitioners project intent, only that magi do so onto subservient energies to cause change, and qi users coerce temporary change through sheer will. In principle, cripple the caster's spirit to succeed and their magic simply won't. As such, the two require two very different states of mind. Qi users cannot practice magic and vice versa. Non-magical (or less magically inclined) races are therefore better suited to learning qi (like the Ibex), while magical races may end up sacrificing their magic in exchange for qi. Trivia * Tranquil users have incredible poker faces. * Dali of the Wanderers is a legendary master of tranquil qi and Lla-zhi-de. * Since Qi is derived from intent (either feral or tranquil), aether magic users are able to sense it. It is also the only magical element that can protect against it, but aether users cannot tap into it. * It is a fact that all but the youngest dragons are exceptionally resistant to the effects of Qi. * Fluttershy's stare is an example of feral qi. Category:Phenomena